South Seattle Community College starts class on Sept. 23, and the 19th was a day of celebration for the school's past, and a chance to look forward to this coming year.

SSCC's Kevin Maloney shared this photo of President Gary Oertli speaking during the event and the following details:

South Seattle Community College hosted its annual “Salute to South” celebration on September 19. The event is a community reception, open to the public, that allowed South to celebrate the upcoming academic year, that starts on Monday, September 23.

For South Seattle Community College President Gary Oertli, events like this help strengthen ties to its community.

“Events like this helps build community. Our mission is to respond to the needs of the community,” Oertli explained. “The more we engage with our community, to find out what their needs are, the better we become as an institution.”

SSCC is located on 16th Ave. S.W. in West Seattle.